WASHINGTON — Newly released US Department of Justice documents made public on Friday, January 31, 2026, show that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his wife Nili Priel stayed multiple times at a New York City apartment owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including detailed email exchanges about logistics and maintenance during their visits.
The records, part of the ongoing court-ordered release of more than three million pages from the federal investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking network, include correspondence from May 2017 in which Priel informed Epstein that she and Barak would temporarily vacate the apartment while traveling to Harvard University. She requested that cleaning be arranged during their absence, and Epstein forwarded the message to an assistant who confirmed the task would be handled the following day.
Additional emails show Epstein’s assistant, Lesley Groff, coordinating practical arrangements for the Baraks, including replacing a cable box with an Apple TV system. The correspondence also reflects regular communication between Epstein, Groff, and Priel regarding the couple’s travel plans to New York and meetings involving Epstein.
Barak has previously acknowledged first meeting Epstein in 2003 and maintaining contact even after Epstein became a registered sex offender following his 2008 Florida plea deal. In public statements, Barak has consistently denied witnessing or participating in any illegal or inappropriate activity during his interactions with Epstein.
The apartment in question is one of several properties Epstein owned in New York City. While previous disclosures have focused on visits by high-profile figures to Epstein’s private island (Little St. James) and other residences, the details of Barak’s stays at the New York apartment had not been publicly documented until Friday’s release.
The Justice Department files — unsealed in multiple tranches since late 2025 — have also referenced numerous other prominent individuals, including US President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, former President Bill Clinton, and others. Trump has acknowledged a past social acquaintance with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s but has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and stated he distanced himself from Epstein years before his 2019 arrest.
Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He had previously pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to procuring a minor for prostitution under a plea agreement widely criticized as overly lenient. Survivors and advocates have long alleged Epstein operated an extensive sex trafficking network that involved members of the political, business, academic, and entertainment elite in the United States and abroad.
The latest document release has reignited calls from lawmakers, victims’ rights organizations, and the public for full transparency regarding Epstein’s associates and any individuals who may have facilitated, enabled, or benefited from his criminal activities. Bipartisan members of Congress continue to press for the disclosure of all remaining government-held records related to the case.
Neither former Prime Minister Barak nor representatives acting on his behalf immediately responded to requests for comment on the newly disclosed emails. The Israeli government has not issued an official statement regarding the matter as of late Friday.
The Epstein files remain one of the most politically sensitive and closely scrutinized sets of records in recent US history, fueling ongoing debates over elite accountability, sex trafficking investigations, and the handling of high-profile criminal networks.
